This invention relates to an apparatus for packaging portions of elongate articles, such as carrots. The apparatus comprises an elongate receptacle and means for pivoting the receptacle from a horizontal loading position to a vertical discharge position above the mouth of an open bag, means for loading a portion of the articles into the receptacle when the latter assumes its horizontal loading position, and shaking means for imparting longitudinal oscillations to the receptacle and its content.
In an apparatus of this kind, which is known from published German Patent Application No. 28 04 699 the shaking of the receptacle serves for imparting a certain degree of lengthwise orientation to the articles, which are loaded from above into the receptacle, in order to facilitate the subsequent transfer of the articles to a bag in response to the pivoting of the receptacle to vertical position. In the known apparatus the receptacle is provided with a lid which is kept open during the loading of the articles and which is thereafter closed before the receptacle is pivoted. One end wall of the receptacle is composed of two flaps which are kept closed during the shaking and the subsequent pivoting movement. When the receptacle is vertically positioned it is moved downward through a certain distance into the bag following which the flaps are opened to let the articles fall down into the bag.